The process of extracting Hydrogen gas from water by electrolysis has been known since at least the 1800's. Many of the technological advancements that have occurred since then center around how the electricity necessary for electrolysis is produced. Originally, batteries were used as the primary source of the direct current (DC) electricity necessary for electrolysis. Currently, however, most electricity comes from power sources such as hydro dams, coal, and nuclear plants and most recently from wind and solar power. These modern electricity sources typically generate alternating current (AC) electricity, which must be converted into DC electricity for use in electrolysis through rectification.
Current electricity sources are incapable of supplying the large amounts of electricity that are becoming necessary for new uses, such as for generating hydrogen gas necessary to power fuel cell automobiles. It is clear that hydrogen production on a large scale must have its own source of electricity.
Current hydrogen generating systems also suffer from a lack of scalability, and are not easily configured to meet varying demand for hydrogen gas production. Furthermore, water must often be pumped to fixed locations for producing hydrogen gas using electrolysis, which is costly and expensive.
There is accordingly a need in the art for an apparatus that is capable of meeting the growing demands for hydrogen production, and of adapting to meet varying demand for hydrogen gas production.